Life in Gotham
by defenderofmankind
Summary: Life in Gotham is awful as they say. Constant terror plagues the streets with dramatic and flamboyant criminals at every corner. Alondra is supposed to fight against them, she's supposed to be on the Batman's side but... how can she forget her true home. How can she forget cotton candy at the circus, story time in the tent, an umbrella pin fixed onto her dress to keep her safe.
1. Fear Meets Chaos

**_Authors Note: I own nothing except my OCs. Wow starting a new story without finishing my other two in progress ones I'm trash. The Jonathan/Jerome relationship will be brief but enjoy it while it lasts._**

Jonathan peered around the corner of the alleyway before sprinting across the street into the canopy of trees that surrounded the park. The hospital falling behind him, the distress that rested on his shoulders shedding off of him the farther he gets away. He had managed to find his old clothes before escaping his prison with Scarecrow whispering instructions to him the whole way. The separate entity and he had both shared a desire to free themselves making it easier for Jonathan to finally trust his terrifying companion even now as he was hissing at him to hurry. When he finally made it into the trees lining the park he felt he could breathe again. It wasn't until he'd walked deeper into the tree line that he heard a voice, one that surprisingly wasn't Scarecrow's.

"What's a pretty face like you doing in a place like this," a voice crooned. Jonathan immediately snapped his eyes in the direction of the voice. The pale moonlight coming through the canopy of the trees illuminated a sharp grin and blue-green eyes. Eyes that weren't as icy as Jonathan's own but that still held an edge to them.

" _Danger,"_ hissed Scarecrow withdrawing into their mind, for the first time since he'd been born of that fear toxin, he seemed just as scared as Jonathan.

"I'm just- strolling through the park," Jonathan replied nervously. At this the owner of the voice chuckled and crept out of the shadows. He would be a charming looking boy that anyone would be happy to bring home to their parents if it weren't for the mischievous glint in his eyes. He had ginger hair, pale skin peppered in freckles, and a lean body.

"All by yourself," the older boy gasps in fake shock, "who would allow such a thing!"

"Fuck off," Scarecrow snapped back, he had shifted into control ready to protect Jonathan against whatever threat this boy presented.

The strange boy cocked his head and looked at them with interest before huffing out, "I wasn't talking to _you_ , let me talk to pretty boy again."

There was a tense silence now as they stared each other down. Jonathan was freaking the hell out and Scarecrow was trying to get him to calm down at first with empty threats and then with soothing whispers.

"Jerome," he stated, breaking the silence and getting Jonathan to look back at him- responsive again- he didn't know how many minutes had passed.

"What?"

"That's my name," Jerome clarified with a dramatic flourish of his hand and a bow, "Jerome Valeska at your service pretty boy."

"I'm Jonathan not pretty boy," he scowled ignoring the other boy's hand now being obnoxiously offered towards him. Jerome grinned and rubbed at his hand when Jonathan smacked it away.

"Ohhh _feisty_ \- what's the other one called," Jerome questioned casually.

"How do you even know about him," Jonathan muttered, glaring at this strange boy who was leading him very off track from his escape plan.

"Crazy is my forte, baby blue, it's attracted to me," Jerome raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Don't call him that," Scarecrow growled, "and we're not crazy!"

"Oh please don't be a cliche you're so much better than that," Jerome huffed a bit in annoyance. Jonathan was about to shoot back that Jerome didn't even _know_ him but was quickly quieted by the sound of a commotion coming from the hospital. His body stiffened and he silently crept backwards towards the shadows. Jerome took notice of this and assessed what was going on. It wasn't until he heard some people talking about a missing mental patient that a smug grin came across his face.  
"See I knew you were crazy," he murmured, grabbing onto Jonathan's arm and starting to pull him after him before Jonathan could even react to the comment.

"Let go of me," he hissed trying to tug his arm away. It really seemed he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Oh shush Johnny boy. Come back to my place and I can hide you out."

Jonathan went into a shocked silence letting the other boy manhandle him. He didn't dare to say anything until the voices of the people looking for him faded. Jerome in that time had brought him to a hill surrounded by trees. There was a tent set up and a cooler there too, some cans with bullet holes in them littered the area and Jonathan spotted a pile of books peeking out from under a blanket on the grass.

"Welcome to my humble abode Johnnyboy, mi casa es su casa! Well actually if this was actually mi casa even I wouldn't be cruel enough to take you there,"Jerome laughed without much humor, meeting eyes with a still stunned Jonathan.

"S-so you don't live here? Then why have all this junk?"

Jerome frowned at his safe spot being referred to as junk, he actually thought he'd done quite a good job of making the hiding place his own. It was amazing and this loon had no idea what he was talking about.

"Excuse you- but no unfortunately this is just where I like to come to hideout from the other carnies! I usually stay on the circus grounds unless- well anyway you can stay here as long as you want pretty boy," Jerome grinned glad that he had caught himself before confessing his life of abuse to his new friend. Jonathan had no need to know about the beatings that came from his mother or her many, many lovers. Still the other boy was now staring at him with those icy blue eyes in an almost clinical fashion. Something in those eyes made Jerome think that he knew what Jerome had just stumbled over and that he maybe even understood.

"Thank you Jerome," he said bowing his head slightly in gratitude, "I'll try not to stick around too long." He realized it was best not to push the matter of the pain and misery he saw in the other boy's eyes.

"Ohh trust me snookums I wouldn't mind keeping you around at all," Jerome replied with a salacious wink before continuing in a slightly more serious tone, "it's up to you if you want me to stay here or not."

Jonathan thought it over for a moment it was clear that Jerome could simply head back to his real house- or more likely his trailer- on the circus grounds but Jonathan realized that the other boy probably wanted nothing more than to escape that place and he himself didn't want to be alone.

"I would actually prefer that you stayed," Jonathan muttered quietly already rolling his eyes at Jerome's expected response of a leering grin, "but if you touch me I will stab you."

"Wow are you trying to make me fall in love with you because damn you might have just given me a type," Jerome smirked, a certain sparkle in his eyes that made Jonathan think that the older boy wasn't completely teasing.

"If you're type is people who vehemently reject you and would readily stab you at the nearest chance then I guess I am your type," Jonathan shot back in a dry tone as they laid down to sleep in the tent.

"Just my type," Jerome muttered mostly to himself now as he rolled over with his arms resting behind his head. Scarecrow mutters angrily in their head as Jonathan chuckles and allows himself to go to sleep feeling strangely safe with this obviously disturbed boy.

* * *

When Jonathan woke up the next morning it was to an arm wrapped tightly around his waist and warm breath at the nape of his neck. It only felt right to jab a sharp elbow into the ribs of the ginger boy before sitting up himself. Sadly all it got him was a howl of laughter instead of the pain he had wanted.

"Don't touch me," he stated bluntly as he rubbed the sleepiness from his bleary eyes and then reached out blindly to feel for the glasses he'd left somewhere on the tent floor the night before. The cold plastic caused him to startle as his glasses were placed on him by Jerome giving him a clear picture of the other boy grinning madly at him.

"Can't control what I do in my sleep, sweet stuff," Jerome offered with a slightly apologetic tone not enough to sound truly ashamed but enough to let Jonathan know that he hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable.

Jonathan's eyes narrowed as they wandered down the other boy's body before quickly darting away, "Let me guess you can't control that either?" He blushed scarlet red as Jerome chuckled.

"Not really, no snookums. Relax it's natural- what guy hasn't woken up with morning wood before," Jerome drawled in a very blasé tone as if Jonathan was the one being irrational here. Jonathan placed his head in his hands and let out a short scream before his face went back to being blank as he crawled out of the tent. He found some milk in the cooler and a box of cereal that was nearly empty but he didn't feel like it'd be right to take it from Jerome who already had so little.

"Just eat it Johnnyboy I'm sure I can find something to eat on the circus grounds. I gotta be getting back anyway the elephant dung isn't gonna scoop itself," Jerome told him when he emerged from the tent and stretched his arms up above his head until there was a pop.

"Thanks," Jonathan muttered settling in to eat the cereal now that he had permission, "I'll try to get some more while you're gone."

"Mmm maybe it's not the best idea to be showing your face in public just yet," Jerome commented as he started his way down the hill, "I'll knick some from the convenience store before I come back tonight." Jonathan allowed himself to give Jerome a small grateful smile.

"Thank you."

"For a boy as pretty as you? No problem," Jerome cackled sending one last wink over his shoulder before disappearing for the day.

Jonathan spent his time alone investigating the books that Jerome had lying around, which ranged from comic books to books for learning different languages to horror novels. Some of the books had stamps that identified them as property from a different state's library which would never see the book again. It was getting dark with Jonathan learning some German phrases to distract from his empty stomach when Jerome emerged from the tree line looking tired and a bit beaten up but still grinning. The older boy dropped the bounty of cereal, milk, and hot dogs wrapped in aluminum in front of Jonathan as an offering.

"What happened," Jonathan asked almost regretting his prying when the smile on the other boy's face dimmed a bit. Jerome shrugged and put the milk away in the cooler.

"Uncle Zach's fist just seems to be magnetically drawn to my face," Jerome laughed humorlessly as he gestured to his split lip. Jonathan frowned, standing up to more closely inspect the damage and not missing the slight stutter in Jerome's breathing when his thumb brushed the cut on his lips.

"My grandma was always a bit of a religious fanatic. She thought I was too girly, too soft, too _pretty_ and whenever I did something that seemed unmasculine to her, or if I angered her for any reason, she would lock me in the abandoned silo and dump bird feed on me. The crow's that lived in there would swoop down and peck at me. I would cover my eyes so that they wouldn't get pecked out and then I'd have to wait till morning when she came back for me," Jonathan confessed feeling a strange need to make Jerome feel better. He didn't know if sharing childhood traumas with him would be very comforting but at least in his experience it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one suffering.

"What a broad," Jerome muttered with an underlying anger in his words, "did ya kill her? Did you ever _want_ to do it so bad? Just take her neck in your hands and wring it until her eyes popped out or stab and slice her until the room is painted red?"

"Yes," Jonathan answered breathily, "I wanted to rip her eyes out and feed them to the birds. I wanted to practice medieval torture on the witch, place a hungry rat on her stomach and light an iron cage above it so that its only way out is eating its way through her."

Both of them were breathing heavily now, it was unclear who made the first move but suddenly their mouths were on each others and Jerome was prodding experimentally around in Jonathan's mouth. It was sloppy, inexperienced, and positively _amazing_. To have someone touch them without the intention to harm them and to have someone take pleasure in being touched and by touching you was an incredible thing. Before they knew it they were on the ground, in the grass, writhing on each other and running their hands in each others hair, over the other's back, under each others shirts, their hands were everywhere at once. A low guttural growl rumbled in Jerome's throat and that was enough to make the younger boy come back to reality.

"Wait, wait, wait," Jonathan gasped out as he disconnected his lips from Jerome's only to have the other boy latch onto his neck, pulling a moan from Jonathan, before he gently shoved at the ginger's shoulders, "Jerome _wait_."

"What," Jerome whined sitting up from his position on top of Jonathan and looking utterly debauched even as he pouted. His hair stuck up in all directions and his lips glistened with saliva with Jonathan being in a very similar state.

"We need to slow down and- and," Jonathan quickly ducked to avoid Jerome diving in for another kiss and grabbed a hot dog of the floor, "I'm hungry! Yeah- I haven't eaten all day and I doubt you have so we should eat!"

Jerome frowned but nodded nonetheless, plopping down next to Jonathan and digging into a hot dog. They would occasionally catch the other staring which would make Jonathan quickly look away while Jerome continued to stare shamelessly. Jonathan cleared his throat after a while to get the other's attention, "I liked that as much as you did but we literally just met yesterday and we can't let ourselves get carried away."

Jerome snorted and rolled his eyes, "Listen life is short who gives a shit. You're cute and we have similar murderous fantasies so why not jump each other's bones?"

"Because," Jonathan insisted glaring at the other boy, "it wasn't even five minutes ago that neither of us had ever kissed anyone!"

"And now we have! See how quickly these things happen? Why worry about when the right time is when all we need to know it that it felt good and that I want it to happen again," Jerome countered easily, gripping Jonathan's chin in his hand and smirking at the other boy's glare, "come on baby blue." He crooned out the pet name before placing another kiss on the boy's lips. So that was how they spent the rest of the night after moving into the tent. They laid kissing each other until their lips were bruised and even a bit after that. Jonathan didn't let things go much further than that but both boys were just happy to be receiving some sort of physical affection.

The next morning Jerome woke up grinning so hard that his face hurt, his lips were still red and chapped but the sting he felt when he flicked his tongue over them only gave him satisfaction. He glanced over at Jonathan who was as pretty as ever even as he slept and decided not to wake him. He quickly scarfed down some cereal and then trotted down to get his morning started. The smile stayed on his face the whole morning even when his mother called him a waste of space, even when one of her lover's boots met his ribcage, and even as he cleaned up the elephant dung. The whole day he just couldn't wait to get back to his hiding place because now he knew that something good was waiting for him. He had a _friend_ , someone to talk to and who didn't mind his company too much. Someone who might even care if he was dead or alive so yeah he kept on smiling because at the end of the day he knew that his lips would be on Jonathan's as soon as he got back up there.

* * *

It was about a week later that Jonathan started wanting to go back out in public despite Jerome warning him against it. Who knew he could actually be responsible? He finally had a friend and though it may be a bit selfish he wanted to hide him away forever. He couldn't trust that Jonathan wouldn't just up and leave him if he realized that it was safe to be on his own.

Still after hours of Jonathan demanding that Jerome let him go, the ginger had to agree but with the condition that Jerome tag along.

"Well of course you're gonna come," Jonathan snorted looking confused at the request, "who else would I go with?"

That made Jerome smile, not one of those malicious or mischievous smiles, a real one. So they made their way down the hill together that night, heading away from the circus and back towards the park where they had met. Jerome let Jonathan borrow a hoodie to keep his face hidden as they strolled right past the hospital.

A few minutes into their walk Jerome pickpocketed some poor fool and when he noticed Jonathan watching him with interest he gave him a few quick tips on how to do it. When Jonathan managed to steal the wallet out of some guys back pocket they shared matching proud grins and looked for a place to eat.

"It's boys night Johnny! We deserve to treat ourselves," Jerome reasoned. Treating themselves turned out to be eating at some dumpy looking fast food chain but it was still nice to have a warm meal. They ordered everything they could off the menu with Jerome asking for one kids meal just so he could get the toy which was a bad rendition of some superhero painted sloppily onto a plastic mold. Jerome was positively beaming at his little toy figure and Jonathan joined the other boys laughter. It was nice sitting there and cracking jokes over their meal, almost enough to make them feel like normal teenagers just hanging out after school. They managed to sneak into the play area which was empty except for Jerome clambering around inside the tunnels while Jonathan watched in amusement eating his ice cream cone. It wasn't long until an employee found them and chased them out of the building while they both cackled until they couldn't breath.

"That was fun," Jerome commented looking content as they started taking the long way back to their campsite.

"That was stupid," Jonathan snorted shaking his head and continuing to grin.

"Isn't it funny how much the two things have in common," Jerome quipped earning him a giggle from the smaller boy. They started passing the nicer houses and both went quiet as they stared at the homes with envy. In passing one they heard a couple clearly in a shouting match coming from inside, a little girl was on the front steps drawing imaginary pictures on the ground with her finger. She glanced up at the two friends amicably walking past and the same envy was visible in her eyes.

"Now that's funny," Jerome chuckled bitterly, "have all the means necessary but some assholes still manage to fuck over their kids, huh?"

"She'll be on the streets in a few months tops," Jonathan hummed, "kids like that? They're parents are usually in some sort of debt or have some other type of vice. They lose the house and forget about their kids- it's the cycle of Gotham. Selfish parents breed dangerous street kids."

"Yeah," Jerome murmured thoughtfully before grinning sharply, "man, I love this city!"

He let out a whooping laugh and wrapped an arm around Jonathan planting a wet kiss on his lips. The little girl kept staring after them until they turned the corner and then she reluctantly made her way back inside.

* * *

When they got back to the campsite Jerome proudly placed his toy on top of a stack of books, it's crookedly painted face staring blankly ahead. Jonathan rolled his eyes fondly and crawled into the tent with Jerome joining him soon after. It was routine to make out before bed so Jonathan wasn't too surprised to find himself on his back with Jerome looming over him. The kisses were gentler this time though and it was almost a sweet moment. He leaned into the older boys touch and realized that this time was different, it wasn't love, of course not, but it was _caring-_ an understanding that the boys cared about each other enough to stay, enough to take care of each other. So that night they went as far as they wanted and Jonathan let himself moan openly when Jerome was thrusting inside of him. This was safe, Jerome wouldn't hurt him because they were friends and wasn't that a funny idea. He allowed himself a small laugh as Jerome possessively bit down where his shoulder and neck met. He looped his arms around the older boys neck and called out his name as the thrusting got faster. Jerome reached in between them and jerked off Jonathan until his came, the feeling of Jonathan tightening around him sending him over the edge soon after.

When it was over Jerome lapped up the blood that his bite had left before giving him a deep kiss and rolling over to fall asleep. Jonathan felt sated and happy but something in him twinged with hurt as well when he remembered that Jerome didn't really care for him in any intimate sense. Jonathan and Jerome weren't going to fall in love, they weren't "the one" for each other if there even was such a thing for people as fucked up as them but they were close enough for now. Jonathan suspected that even if they ever did find "the one" they'd just end up hurting them because no one would be able to put up with them for long and that the two boys understood each other in that way that no one else could. It was enough and though it wasn't love it was fondness and friendship and the willingness to slit anyone's throat who dared touch the other.


	2. Of Mice and Hurt Feelings

**Author's Note: I own nothing except my OCs. Some more Jerome/Jonathan for you because Joker/Scarecrow was my first ship in the Nolanverse Dark Knight. This is pretty short but I'm still nervous about introducing the OC until she's just right.**

Jerome licked lazily at the popsicle he'd stolen from one of the carnie's station in hope of getting Jonathan's attention, seduction was an art and apparently one that his friend wasn't privy to.

"Well fuck you then," Jerome exclaimed throwing the popsicle down into the grass and receiving a raised eyebrow from an impassive Jonathan, "you just don't appreciate a good tease!" Jonathan scoffed and went back to reading some dumb sciencey book he'd asked Jerome to pick up from the library. The older boy resolved to never do it again, Johnny didn't deserve his kindness. He was just about to huff and storm off in a tizzy when Jonathan rested his hand on top of Jerome's. He didn't look up from his book or even glance at the ginger but it was enough to make the other boy grin and lay back down. His touch starved little heart being happy with just a good hand-holding.

"He doesn't talk as much anymore," Jonathan murmurs, "now that I'm here with you."

Jerome, surprisingly, keeps his mouth shut and just listens because he knows this is important.

"I've read that Scarecrow, that's what I called him, is a reaction to my trauma," he laughs bitterly at this before continuing, "yes I fear him but I also depend on him to protect me from danger. That's when he comes out- when I feel threatened. I'm assuming the whole Scarecrow attire comes from how I was attacked by crows as a child. I depend on him to scare them away. And now that I'm here and my father and grandmother are dead, where the crows can't get me, and I'm not being kept in some hospital with only him for company- I guess I just haven't needed him and he kind of just sleeps most of the time. So thanks I guess for keeping me not scared?"

Jerome smiled crookedly, the real smile, "No problem Johnny you being here has made my life a whole lot better too."

They went back to their lazing positions after that, Jerome wasn't needed on the grounds that day and he'd run off before his mother could try to rope him into anything stupid. He napped for a few hours with Jonathan being careful not to wake him on his one day off. Jerome was a fidgety sleeper- fingers twitching to grasp at something imaginary, body jolting every few minutes, and brow furrowing as small grunts escaped his lips. Jonathan would pet his hair then offering the same comfort Jerome gave him whenever he'd jolt awake from nightmares. Jonathan would wake up in the middle of the night having escaped his grandmother's glaring eyes, the sting of pecking beaks, and skin being shredded by sharp claws only to be instantly comforted upon seeing Jerome laying next to him, a reminder that he was far from all that now.

As the sun started to set Jerome woke up and laid still for a few minutes. When he finally did manage to get himself up he told Jonathan to wait there, as if there was any other place for him to go, and then disappeared into the treeline. He didn't return until the sun had almost completely set and he looked quite pleased with himself.

"Please tell me you didn't kill anything," Jonathan calls out as soon as the grinning maniac pops back into his line of sight. Jerome had recently started to act on some of his murderous tendencies, killing homeless people that he deemed to be expendable though Jonathan had noticed that it was mostly the people that they had spotted on their walks, people that had a predatory eye on minors or other vulnerable people. He wouldn't argue that Jerome was a good guy, the boy did after all still relish in the thought of shooting someone's head off or slitting a throat to watch the blood gush out, but he did believe that at least for now _Jerome_ was trying to make himself believe that he was doing a good thing.

"Oh Johnny have a little faith," Jerome scoffed as he came closer, "I would've told you as soon as I was out of earshot of the grounds if I'd done anything _fun_."

Jonathan raised a brow at the description of taking lives being fun but kept his mouth shut as he knew that he also dabbled in the same fantasies. Jerome dropped onto the grass next to him unceremoniously and grinned widely, his arms had been kept behind his back since he'd returned and Jonathan waited expectantly for the big reveal.

"I got ya something," Jerome said and produced a small white mouse from behind his back. It was cupped in his hands surprisingly gently and for a second Jonathan thought it might be dead because it wasn't squirming but it was breathing just fine, simply laying there calmly in the psychopath's hands.

"Thanks," Jonathan said sarcastically, "just what I wanted. A rodent riddled with disease."

He thought it was a joke, the type where they teased each other by being assholes. He thought Jerome had just found the mouse and brought it back to annoy Jonathan by trying to get him to touch it. He thought wrong as was made clear when Jerome abruptly stood up.

"Fuck you," he spat at Jonathan, "that's the last time I spend anytime trying to do something nice for you."

He stormed off then leaving Jonathan speechless and still waiting for the punchline. When a few minutes had passed and the mouse had already scurried off back into the wild he realized he'd just hurt Jerome's feelings. He sniffed and shook his head disbelievingly resolving that all he could do was wait until the older boy came back so he could apologize.

 _What if he doesn't come back._ Scarecrow hissed in the back of his mind for the first time in days.


End file.
